Harborne Primary School
Our Governors
Governor Annual Report
Governors' Register of Interests
Meet the Governors
Karen Mackenzie
Hi, I am Karen Mackenzie and was appointed as Local Authority Governor in November 2009. I was appointed Chair of Governors in September 2012. Harborne Primary School is my second governorship having previously been Vice Chair at St Johns CE First School in Kidderminster. I also Chair the Finance Committee and am a member of the HR Committee.
I was brought up in Surrey and having spent three years at Warwick University I moved to Birmingham to start my career. I am a chartered accountant and work for KPMG and have lived and worked in Birmingham for over 25 years.
I live in Edgbaston with my partner Colin.
James Gordon
Hi I’m James,
I joined the Governing Body as a Co-Opted Parent Governor in 2020. My sons attend the school. I strongly believe in supporting and giving back to the school community whenever possible.
I am a Civil Engineer by trade, educated at Cardiff University, working around the country until I met my wife Clare in Birmingham, I now head the Engineering Department of a major piece of transport infrastructure in the West Midlands.
I am Chair of the Premises Committee with a keen interest in ensuring the school’s facilities meet the expectations of its users from pupils and parents through to teachers and visitors.
Kamilya Suleymenova
I am Dr Kamilya Suleymenova and I am a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Birmingham. I joined Harborne Primary School's Board of Governors as a LA Governor in 2021, and I am delighted to be here. I am a member of the Curriculum Committee.
My school and University studies took place in France, and I was awarded my PhD in Economics from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in 2011. Since moving to Birmingham in 2012, I have worked at the University of Birmingham, developing a keen interest in pedagogy and teaching, including becoming a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). In addition to teaching, I have experience of acting as our department's Welfare Tutor and I have been actively involved in our Access2Birmingham and Widening Participation programmes, working with local sixth-form and college students from under-represented backgrounds, in order to give them the best chance of succeeding at University.
I have been passionate about education and equality of opportunity throughout my life, and I look forward to contributing to the Board of Governors and to the success of Harborne Primary School.
Kully Kaur Samra
Both of my boys have attended HPS: one has now left to join secondary school.
I was first elected as a Parent Governor at the School in December 2015, and, during my tenure have taken a keen interest in ensuring that all of our children have the best possible outcomes and bright futures ahead of them. I was reappointed as a Co-opted Governor in December 2023.
I have previously been a member of the Premises Committee, was Chair of the Curriculum Committee for several years, and have recently taken up the role of Vice Chair of the Full Governing Body. I continue to be a member of the Curriculum Committee. Being a committed Governor, I have also been a member of ad hoc working groups, I have sat on the Head Teacher’s Performance Panel and am a faculty Link Governor for Science at the School.
Everyone is fully aware that budgetary constraints and the pandemic have meant that the School has and continues to face challenging times ahead. With this in mind, I have seen the value and impact of showing commitment and dedication to this role through the provision of strong strategic support by both the Governors and Senior Leadership Team working as a collective. This direction has helped to ensure that the School continues to improve further in its pursuit of continued excellence, whilst at the same time, providing a safe and nurturing environment for all our pupils to enjoy, thrive and achieve their full potential through a quality education.
Mustafa Tameem
My Name is Mustafa Tameem and I joined as the Co-opted Governor at the Harborne Primary School in September 2018 . I am a member of the Finance and Premises Committees. I have two sons and both studied at Harborne Primary school. My elder son is in Y10 at the KEFW Grammar school in Birmingham whilst my younger son is in Y7 at King Edwards School in Edgbaston. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Computer Engineering and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Birmingham. I am an IT consultant by profession since the last 20 years wherein I have designed, built and managed complex IT systems for large financial global organisations across the UK, US, EU and Asia Pacific. My job as a Program manager and project lead requires me to manage large teams of IT professionals who are typically based across different continents. I am passionate about technology and finance and I am keen to leverage my experience for the school which will need to have robust and reliable IT systems in place especially with the annex now operational.
Harriet Harvey-Moore
My name is Harriet, and my daughter attends Harborne Primary School. I joined the Governing Body as a Co-opted Governor in October 2022.
I began my career as a secondary English teacher and taught in inner city London schools and as head of English for nine years. I now work for a national educational charity delivering evidence-based training to schools tackling educational disadvantage, helping their teachers and school leaders to become more expert over time. I have a particular interest in cognitive science in education, and what it tells us about how children learn.
I believe that all children, no matter their starting point, deserve brilliant teachers and access to the highest quality education and am delighted to be able to support Harborne Primary School in my role as Governor. I am Chair of the Curriculum Committee and a member of the HR Committee.
Rob Powell
My name is Rob Powell and I became a Parent Governor in November 2019, and was reappointed as a Co-opted Governor in December 2023. I sit on the Finance and Curriculum Committees.
I am married to Sarah, a doctor, and we have two daughters who have attended Harborne Primary, one remains and the other has gone on to secondary school. Both love the school and have really thrived there. I hope I can contribute to the school as a governor, and will work hard to represent parents on the Governing Body.
By day I am a Strategic Director for a nearby local authority, and am an accountant by profession. I have worked for a number of public and private sector organisations, and have been a Chief Executive at one of them, so hope I bring a range of skills to help the school. I am also treasurer of the Friends of Harborne Primary. I am sports mad and still manage to play cricket for Harborne Cricket Club.
Naveed Jhinjer
I joined the Governing Body as a Parent Governor in 2019 after my daughter started school in Reception. I was actually at HPS in the late eighties. I was reappointed as Associate Member in December 2023. I am Chair of the HR Committee and a member of the Curriculum Committee..
I studied Microbiology at the University of Birmingham and I am now a co-director in my family business. In this day job I deal with companies of various sizes from sole ownerships to corporate entities, and with this experience I have a hands-on role in many aspects of HR, accounts, seeking new business with people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and sensibly investing for the future.
The school gave me a great start in life and I now firmly believe it is time to ‘give back’ and support the school to maintain its long-established, stellar reputation, that allows pupils a chance to broaden their horizons to reach their full potential.
Laura Salt
I was appointed as a Parent Governor in January 2023 and I have two children at the school. I currently work at KES and KEHS in Edgbaston and I am responsible for fundraising for our Assisted Places programme. This programme ensures able pupils, regardless of the financial circumstances of their families, have the opportunity to attend the schools. I have a passion for education and believe in access for all.
I am also a trustee of British Gymnastic Foundation, where our aim is to create opportunities through gymnastics to the communities most in need. This role allows me to combine my passion for sport and my belief in opportunities for all.
In my role as a governor, I am excited to use my experiences to help the school continue to provide an excellent environment for our children to be educated, ensuring that each child has the same opportunities. I am also keen to strengthen the links between the Annex and the Main Site and to play a part in improving the outcomes for all our children.
Kiran Gulia
Hello, I am Dr Kiran Gulia. I am a Senior Academic in the School of Engineering at the University. I bring the collective experience of an academic being in academia for over a decade, as a parent of school going children and as a vocal and passionate local community member.
As a female face of engineering and a passionate academic, I am a keen patron of our young minds, and, in particular girls’, participation, and education, especially preparing them to lead in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). I am passionate around policy making hence, I am keen on proposing policies for education and science at the local and national government levels.
As a patron for Inclusivity, I am fully committed to the school’s vision to be inclusive, innovative, and impactful and to secure equity of outcomes for all our students and teachers.
Dan Wright
My name is Dan and I am a Parent Governor, appointed in November 2023. I have a little boy in Reception and a not so little girl in year 3. I have been a teacher in Birmingham for 17 years and currently sit on the senior leadership team of an inner city secondary school. My experience and knowledge of the education system puts me in a strong position to support the school in achieving the best possible outcomes for its children. During my career I have explored innovative ways to improve the learning experience for children, especially the most vulnerable. Working in a secondary school in one of the most deprived areas of the city, I have also dedicated a significant amount of time and resource into reducing the gaps between disadvantaged students and their non disadvantaged peers.
I have a passion for the outdoors and when not in the classroom, am often found playing on the side of a mountain.
My experience of Harborne Primary so far has been overwhelmingly positive and I am looking forward to contributing further to its development.
Anna Preddy
My name is Anna Preddy and I am Staff Governor, appointed in September 2023. My career began as a teaching assistant but I soon realized that I wanted to become a teacher. After working in two schools in my early career, I got a job here at Harborne Primary School in September 2001. During my time here, I have seen the school grow and develop in many ways, through many periods of change. My current roles include Year Group Leader for Year 6 with additional responsibly for assessment practices throughout the school. I do both roles on a job-share basis. This gives me a great work life balance and allows me to spend time with my daughters aged 11 and 8 and my new puppy!
I hope that my long-standing knowledge of the curriculum, the school, and the community that it serves, will enable me to work with the Governing Body to ensure that the school optimizes its finances and makes best use of its premises and personnel, to deliver a high quality education to ALL of our pupils.
Robyn Powell
I am Robyn Powell and have worked at Harborne for over ten years now. I joined the school as an NQT and have worked in both key stages with varying curriculum roles. For seven years, I was PE lead along with another colleague. I am now the Maths co-ordinator and have enjoyed the challenge of moving into a core subject lead role.
I am currently placed at the Annex with year 2. Over recent years I have developed a keen interest in inclusion - particularly supporting SEND pupils in a range of ways within my own classroom and in our school.
I am also a keen sportsperson, with a particular interest in netball and am Club Secretary for a local netball club. I am keen for children to develop a love of learning and sport from a young age, seeing this as key to supporting their mental health and well-being.
In my governing role, I am keen to share my understanding of our school’s curriculum, staff and pupil well-being and my passion for inclusion as part of whole school development. I would like to continue to develop the links between Main Site and the Annex at our school, ensuring the best for both sites.
Nick Whitehouse - Headteacher governer
Governing Body
The governors are a team of people, drawn from the local community who are responsible for ensuring that the school provides the best quality education that we can for the children.
Following due consideration and full discussion by the Governing Body, it was decided that it would be reconstituted with:
4 parent governors
1 LA governor
1 Staff governor
1 Head Teacher governor (unless the head teacher resigns the office of governor)
7 Co-opted governors:
4 parent governors
2 staff governors
2 community governors
From the above, the chairperson is elected by all the governors on an annual basis.
All parents at the school are eligible to vote and elect parent governors. Governors hold office for four years. You will be notified when elections are due. If you are interested in being involved in this capacity please ask for more information or speak to one of the governors who will be happy to tell you about their work. Minutes of the Governing Body Meetings are available by clicking below, see link to Meeting Minutes, or on request from the school office.
The purpose of governing bodies is to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school.
Our governing body has a strong focus on three core strategic functions:
1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
2. Holding the principal and head of school to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils; and
3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
Our Governors
Chair of Governors: Karen Mackenzie
Vice chair: Kully Kaur Samra
Curriculum Committee
Chair: Harriet Harvey-More
Naveed Jhinjer
Rob Powell
Kamilya Suleymenova
Premises Committee
Chair: James Gordon
Mustafa Tameem
Trevor Mullings (Site Manager in attendance)
HR Committee
Chair: Naveed Jhinjer
Karen Mackenzie
Lyndsey Tapper (School Business Manager in attendance)
Harriet Harvey-More
Finance Committee
Chair: Karen Mackenzie
Mustafa Tameem
Rob Powell
Lyndsey Tapper (School Business Manager in attendance)